LAKE ISABELLA, Calif. (AP) — A wildfire roared through the bone-dry mountains of central California and gave residents little time to flee as it burned dozens of homes to the ground and killed two people, authorities said Friday.

The wind-driven blaze destroyed at least 80 houses in the southern Sierra Nevada and scorched more than 29 square miles as it tore through neighborhoods, exploded propane tanks and produced smoke that obscured the path to safety.

Two bodies were found in Lake Isabella, a popular recreation area east of Bakersfield, said Phil Neufeld, a spokesman for Kern County Fire Department.

David Klaippel, 78, a retired police officer, said he didn’t see much of a threat after receiving an automated call advising him to leave. That changed dramatically within an hour Thursday afternoon.

“I’ve never been so close to a fast-moving, ferocious fire. It was unbelievable,” said Klaippel, who later learned his house had caught fire. “I almost didn’t have time to get out.”

Entire neighborhoods of mobile homes were charred to their foundations. Heavy smoke hung over the lake Isabella, and winds pushed the flames farther into drought-starved terrain.

“The forces of nature collided with a spark,” Kern County Fire Chief Brian Marshall said. “The mountainous terrain, five years of drought and wind gusts of over 20 mph all drove a fire over 11 miles in 13 hours.”

Scorching heat and tinder-dry conditions across the West have ignited massive wildfires in the past week that have destroyed properties and driven residents from their homes in several states.

The California blaze quickly became one of the most devastating, forcing several thousand people to evacuate and putting some 1,500 homes in jeopardy. Three firefighters suffered smoke inhalation.

Crews faced a blaze “of epic proportions” as they tried to protect neighborhoods, Marshall said. Officials said they expect to find many more homes destroyed as the smoke clears and they do a more thorough check of smoldering neighborhoods.

Video from Thursday night showed homes fully engulfed and others already gone as propane tanks flared up and exploded. Flames could be seen in the steep, rocky hillsides early the next morning.

"There is a general recognition that we don't need these military-style weapons in New Zealand, so it's very easy to win cross-party support for this," said Mark Mitchell, who was defense minister in the previous, center-right government and who supports the ban initiated by the center-left-led Labour Party.